Odds and Sods

Welcome back folks!

In our last post, we mentioned that we were posting our billboards in Universities and grocery stores. Not only will this help to get our name out there, but it is also an excuse to talk to the school administration while seeking permission to use their bulletin boards. On a couple of occasions, we have come away with heightened optimism about our prospects. On one hand, it's good to have hope. On the other, it's a disappointment when nothing materializes. This is Charlene at the University of Vina del Mar. It is about a 30 minute bus ride from downtown to the campus on a free University bus system. This campus, one of UVMs many, is out of town on the highway to Santiago.



Phase 2 of the ad campaign is the distribution of business cards. We have become very familiar faces in the local print shop, mostly because it's close to our apartment, and the resident graphic artist speaks reasonably good English. This is Loreto and I designing the business cards.
We hope to distribute them to businesses and perhaps on the street to people who look like they may have the resources to pay. Something will surely turn up soon. Ooops . . . there I go again having hope.




Last Saturday (October 4) felt like a good day for a trip to "the city". Charlene had found a shop in Santiago on line where she could pick up some supplies not available in Vina. We would also check out sights that we didn't get to during our first stay.
Once again, transportation turned out to be very easy. Twenty minutes on the bus to Valparaiso, buy a ticket to Santiago (4,200 pesos each = $8.40), and literally turn around and get on the bus for a 90 minute ride to the big city. The bus stops at a subway terminal, and of course, the subway comes every 5 minutes or so. A 25 minute ride to central Santiago and we were set for the day! It is about a 2 1/2 hour trip from our apartment to downtown Santiago, but as I said, easy!

There was no problem finding the shop that we wanted, so that left the rest of the day for . . .
you guessed it . . . more walking to see what we could see. The first destination was the Museo de Belles Artes. It is an art gallery that is housed in a grand old building from the early 1900's. (It seems that the early 1900s were very prosperous around here). The shot is of two statues in the central hall, but above the stone work you can see a glass dome that runs the length of the courtyard.






This was taken looking south (I think) as we were leaving the museum. Once again the shot doesn't do the actual scenery justice. The park and the Andes in the background were beautiful.

This seems like a good time to suggest to those who may not know...... you can enlarge the photos on the blog. Clicking on the image may do the trick or you can right click and follow the directions. (It won't work with the videos)



Charlene had read about a restaurant in Santiago and we planned our day to end up there. At about 6:00, we found it (always a nice surprise) and it looked very nice. Unfortunately, it didn't open until 7:30. With that news, we headed back to Vina and rustled up a little grub at home. Charlene made herself a sandwich while I satisfied my hunger and curiosity with takeout at Dominos Pizza down the street. (Surprisingly similar to what we would expect at home)

Sunday was another sunny warm day, and after the service at St. Peter's, we strolled to the Palacia Rioja. It is another palace built in the early 1900's by a young entrepreneur. The owner arrived in Chile when he was 18 and among other things, started the tobacco industry. The family lived here until 1956 and after that, the city took it over in lieu of back taxes. The property suffered major damage in an earthquake but has since been restored, complete with original furniture. We were the only ones in the house at the time and even had some English literature to help with the tour.





This seemed wierd at the time, and something that we had never come across, but before entering the museum, we were asked to slip on these booties to protect the floor! Tres chic don't ya think! Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures inside.



After the tour, we walked a block and had empanadas (the best so far) for lunch.... mmmmm!
Since being in Chile, we have noticed the presence of glass pop bottles. There is no shortage of plastic of course but these and other glass bottles are very common. Note the small plaque beside the bottles. This is the menu. Only empanadas were served here, and they were made fresh which made the experience of eating them even better. On one side of the menu fried (frita) empanadas are listed, on the other oven roasted/baked (el horno). The empanadas have different shapes depending on the filling. If you enlarge this photo, you may notice that the drawings of the empanadas have dots. We have tried to figure out what the dots indicate, but haven't gotten any answers as yet.



We also spent some time at the Museo Arquelogico Francisco Fonck in Vina. We find that museums are often a crap shoot. Some are wonderful, some... not so much! This one turned out to be very good, and only a 15 minute walk from home.



The entire main floor was devoted to the archeology of the Indigenous people of Chile. (The Mapuche and Incas). Easter Island (Rapa Nui) was also represented quite extensively. The more we read about the island, the more intrigued we become. The artifacts and presentations would rival any North American museum, and once again, we were pleasantly surprised at the presence of some English information.





The upper level was devoted to natural history. This room is mostly mounted insects while the adjoining rooms are larger birds and animals. There is a stuffed Albatros which made us think of the animated movie in which John Candy was the voice of the Albatros. Bob Newhart also voiced a character. We can't think of the title. Anybody out there know what it is??



Some of the statues on Easter Island were 20 metres tall. How did they do it??!!



One of the things that I find most difficult about being away is not having access to my garage and tools to tinker away at fixing things. There are, however, things in our apartment that are in need of repair. Two of the kitchen chairs were unsafe to sit on and with company coming for supper this Saturday, something had to be done. I managed to borrow some tools from the building and already had some glue from an earlier project so was able to salvage the chairs, and gain a few hours of "repair" therapy at the same time!



With the Pacific Ocean and a sandy beach just 100 yards away, we had often talked about a picnic on the beach. We finally got around to it recently, and it's a very nice way to watch the sun go down while the waves crash in.



We noticed last week that the waves were coming in stronger than usual and have since noticed that they have again subsided. Although the tide doesn't seem to be significant around here, we wonder whether the phase of the moon has an impact on the waves. At the time when the waves were strongest, the moon was but a sliver. We will keep an eye on the moon and the ocean over the next few weeks.



Ramblings:

Early in the blog I mentioned that the sales tax was included in the price tags. This is convenient but we also had no idea how much tax was being paid. We now know that the sales tax here is 19% . . . and it is on everything . . . including food!! The good news is if you are a resident (and making a decent wage) income tax is low. It is a flat rate of 17%.

Some of you have been leaving comments on the blog and we very much enjoy reading them. However, some of you have also mentioned having trouble with your password lately. I have made a change to a setting that should make it possible to comment without the need for a password. Now I need a volunteer to check that out. I look forward to seeing the results.

We feel that we are establishing a community here in Vina. However, there are still things that we are uncertain about. The biggest issue is work. The other issue is finding a new place to live should we decide to stay in Vina. Our apartment is great, but the price is a little high especially when we aren't working. Also, rent goes through the roof during the summer months (December-February), and we know that we can't afford the luxury of an ocean view. So....we will be on the lookout again and will keep you posted as to what happens with that.

After an initial adjustment period ("culture shock"??), we feel we are settling in here and starting to really enjoy Chile. The people are friendly, we are establishing some friendships, we have a church community, we can walk along the beach and enjoy the waves and sunsets, we love shopping at the little corner markets for fruit, vegetables and flowers, there are many sights to see that are just a bus ride away, and the wine is cheap and muy bien. So, life is good, and we need to keep the faith that work will come.

We hope that you enjoyed this edition and also that you have (had) a most enjoyable Thanksgiving weekend. We will miss the turkey and trimmings with our friends and family, but you will all be in our hearts and prayers.

Hasta luega,
Amor,
Norm and Charlene